Mound mulch up around base of roses

Winterize your hybrid roses after there have been two to three hard freezes (temperatures in the teens), which typically occurs in late November at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Cut back the rose canes to about 18 inches and mound the roses with 12 to 15 inches of compost or mulch for the winter.

This year has been warmer than past years, but our staff is still planning to cover roses the week after Thanksgiving. Do not use grass clippings, which will mat down and hold moisture around the plants.

Shrub roses do not require this special treatment for the winter.

It is best to clean up and remove any rose leaves that have fallen if you had problems with black spot, which is a common fungal disease. This disease will overwinter on infected foliage.

• It is a good idea to sharpen and clean garden tools when putting them away for the season. Sharpen spades with an electric hand grinder and put the bevel on the inside edge of the spades.

It is important to wear ear and eye protection for this task as it is noisy and sparks will fly while the grinder works. Move the grinder steadily back and forth to create the sharp edge and avoid burning the metal.

Well-maintained tools make gardening much easier. Use a pegboard on your garage walls to hang and organize tools. If your garage is unheated, it is best to store liquids in the basement so they won't freeze.

• Have your snowblower serviced before the first measurable snowfall when repair shops may get backed up with repair and maintenance work.

• Evergreens will lose some needles in the fall. As long as the drop is not excessive and the overall color of the remaining foliage is a normal shade of green, you should not have to worry. Generally, the needles fall from the center portion of the tree.

Baldcypress, which looks like an evergreen, is a deciduous conifer and is supposed to lose its leaves in fall.

• Tim Johnson is director of horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden, chicagobotanic.org.